At the highest level, many matches go by without a single sliced forehand being played. When you are playing tennis its all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent cant return. At MyTennisHQ, we have all played junior, college, and professional tennis. Once again, when hitting a kick serve, you should rely on your continental service grip, which is ideally suited for this serve. More consistent - means with which one you can hit more or less the same shot over and over again. Generally speaking, coaches and players will talk about three main spots in the service box: Since you can hit your serve in any of these locations, youll have a minimum of 9 serves in your back pocket that you can hit at any given time pretty sweet, right? Members of a larger team often take on different roles, and there will generally be a captain to lead. While some players and coaches might suggest that you can use an eastern grip for your slice serve, Id recommend against it for two main reasons. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle. Second, changing your grip can be a dead giveaway to your opponent as to what type of serve youre about to hit. The flat serve is one of the most popular and most useful serves in tennis. For the taller opponent, who might not move as well as a shorter player, you might hit a slice serve at their body because theyll struggle to reposition themselves quickly when returning. Slice shots that are hit from lack of confidence or in a desperate attempt to just get the ball back tend to float, and they travel through the air slowly. Modern-day tennis players utilize topspin frequently, as it can appear that the ball will sail over the net and out of bounds before dropping well within the lines of play. Rallying. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. 5. What Is A Flat Serve In A Tennis Match? - rookieroad.com Slower Pace: Kick serves are slower than flat or slice serves. The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power. Tennis may not be right for you if you suffer from heart disease or have high or low blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis. Some people love the camaraderie and sense of interdependence that goes with being part of a larger sporting group, like in a football, soccer, or basketball team. If you are under pressure in a rally and are forced to stretch very wide to retrieve a ball on your forehand side, it is unlikely that you will be able to play a topspin shot. All three have their benefits and all three result in a very different bounce of the tennis . To achieve this, play the return rather like a volley, with a continental or Eastern grip, a short take-back and a punchy, high-to-low action. Tennis Grips | Types of Grips Explained & Illustrated A slice serve is a fantastic weapon on any court surface. Tennis Quiz Flashcards | Quizlet Advantages of Clay . Thats because racquet head speed is required to create topspin. If you remember, the flat and slice serve toss is about 12-18 inches in front of you and approximately 6 inches to the right of your tossing arms shoulder at the peak of the toss. ), your position on the court and the direction you want to hit. Again, this is in favor of the two-handed backhand. Instead of hitting through the ball as you would with a flat serve, youll want to hit up. While this might seem like another no-brainer, its common for players to be tentative with their serve, which prevents them from executing to their fullest. What Is A Slice In Tennis? - Tennis Information A "tennis topspin" is when the ball is hit with a lot of power, speed, and spin on it. Table tennis forehand push. Tennis Forehand Slice - Senior Tennis Club Here are a few tips to help execute an effective slice serve: When youre learning the slice serve, it can be relatively easy to overhit as you attempt to generate side spin. Kevin Leck is a Sport Psychology Consultant and Writer from Loughborough in the UK. Frequently, players who are just learning to serve want to hit with power, so they try hard and attempt to muscle the serve over the net. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player).

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If you hit this shot from a comfortable, set position (at about the center of the baseline), your racquet should be pointing toward the right netpost.

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Michael Patrick Shiels writes frequently for golf magazines and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan section. This motion gives the ball the spin or slice that youre looking for while also making sure theres just enough topspin to bring the ball back down into the court. As for the angle of your racquet head, youll want the edge to be roughly parallel with the baseline. However, flat shots with little topspin won't bounce high - they'll almost skid across the court. For this reason, they are vulnerable to attack if not hit with enough spin or placement. How To Hit The Perfect Tennis Forehand Slice In 5 Simple Steps What Does Game, Set, Match Mean In Tennis? When you reach it, the ball may only be a few inches off the ground, meaning that a topspin is not a realistic option. Drop Shots. Only a few top players will use a forehand slice routinely for a rally ball, but on a low-bouncing surface like grass the shot can be effective in preventing an opponent from attacking and keeping them on the move. For a slice, you will need to grip the racket with an eastern or semi-western grip. I went with that for a bit then went back to try and develop topspin, at which point it was infinitely easier because I could get clean contact and not have the racket face twist back on me during . MyTennisHQ is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to websites like TennisWarehouse.com and Amazon.com. Whether it's to pass that big test, qualify for that big promotion or even master that cooking technique; people who rely on dummies, rely on it to learn the critical skills and relevant information necessary for success. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1.

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This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. A flat groundstroke is usually more challenging to hit while keeping the shot within boundaries of the tennis court since there isn't much topspin. But what is the difference between these two groundstrokes? If players like to attack the net and volley, they slice a lot. Tennis is at the top. There are a few disadvantages of using a slice in tennis. Your ability to hit more than one type of serve will allow you to be more competitive against different players and on various court surfaces. You will have more time to return the ball, have a better stance, stronger strokes, more spin, and more confidence. To slice in tennis, a player must angle their racquet and swing downward in a slicing motion.The manner in which the player angles their racquet while slicing downward can be anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal. In-depth Resources But knowing how to use the topspin to your game (strategy) has its advantages: Disadvantages of Tennis Potential for serious injuries Tennis equipment can be costly Not a team sport Tennis cannot be played alone Lack of tennis courts Tennis takes some time to learn Motivation might be a problem Tennis may be time-consuming Need for a trainer to get to the next level Pressure can be high May conflict with your corporate career By common sense, it is known that in tight situations players have to use larger body parts to lessen the impact of their muscles tightening. If you are happy to slice the ball back, the standard slice technique can be used, making sure that you stay in a low stance, as the ball may stay quite low. Why most pros use slice only as a last resort? | Talk Tennis

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Figure 1: Hold your racquet at a 45-degree angle to the fence when you slice your backhand.\t

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3. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion.

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Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. disadvantages of topspin -easier to judge it's bounce pattern -requires more technique -if too much is applied it may go too low and hit net advantages of slice -low bounce -harder for opponent to read bounce pattern -doesn't require as much energy as topspin disadvantages of slice -it's a defensive shot -slower bounce -gives opponent time to think It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions:

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Dressing up your backhand with slice

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If you have trouble effectively hitting the flat backhand, you can use a slightly different stroke that carries many players far in the game the pure slice backhand. When a slice is done correctly, the racket adds a backspin to the ball when it is struck. The ideal contact point and racquet angle. Those two qualities can catch your opponent off guard and screw up her timing.

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A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. Are short pips still relevant in the game of table tennis in the 2020s? The slice serve is a highly effective serve that can become a huge weapon when perfected. Similar to the flat serve, youll want to place your toss about 12-18 inches in front of you and approximately 6 inches to the right of your tossing arms shoulder at the peak of the toss, allowing for natural contact with the ball. Initially, you may be inclined to toss the ball a little farther right than you do for your flat serve to make contacting the side of the ball a bit more pronounced and establish feel.

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High bouncing balls are ideal for hitting slice shots, but you can play balls at any height with a slice by bending more at the knees and/or adjusting the height of your back and forward swings. An Overview of The Different Types of Tennis Shots - TennisCompanion The loose surface dissipates sidespin so that heavy slice serves and sidespin-slice backhands, for example, turn less dramatically than they do on other surfaces. There are basically three major types of court surfaces: Hard Courts, Grass Courts, and Clay Courts. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. link to The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player), link to The Top 3 Best Babolat Tennis Rackets Under $100. Basically, a slice causes the ball to rotate backward (toward the person who hit the ball). disadvantages of the two backhand strokes in relation to the style of play. Disadvantages A low margin of error: Easily, the biggest downside of the hard flat serve is that it's challenging to keep it in, let alone place it well in the service box. Third, it can be difficult to keep the ball in the court. The drawback of a slice serve is that it is easy to read. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. If you miss, the pressure is still on your opponent to hit a great return off your slower second serve. The three primary types of tennis serves include the flat, slice, and kick serve. Ive had the chance to play against great names of the new generation, like Christian Garin, Cameron Norrie, and Kyle Edmund. We both feel like tennis has given us opportunities that we would have never had otherwise, so we started myTennisHQ with the intent of helping more and more people become familiar with the sport. Dominic Thiem: One-handed backhand has some disadvantages Topspin and slice shots are a necessity in tennis. However, you can use it to your advantage on certain court surfaces. Your email address will not be published. Join the conversation with other members of the community. Many players assume behind means you need to toss the ball toward the back fence, i.e., behind the baseline. However, youll also want to hit up slightly to give the ball a bit of topspin so that it drops back down into the court. Required fields are marked *. Disadvantages Of Slice In Tennis The slice forehand has many advantages, but using it for rally balls on slow surfaces like clay and some hard courts can result in the ball bouncing slowly and steeply, seemingly asking to be attacked. If the one-handed backhand is so bad at high balls, why - Talk Tennis First, it can be difficult to control the ball. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion.

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If you hit this shot from a comfortable, set position (at about the center of the baseline), your racquet should be pointing toward the right netpost.

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Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. Think of your racquet face as an elevator that you need to move to the right "story" or height to pick up the passenger, a bright yellow tennis ball! Some coaches will tell you that the short game can be more difficult in terms of short chops and banana flips. This brushing action means youre allowing the strings of your racquet to make contact with the outermost edge of the tennis ball, which causes the ball to spin and ultimately kick up off the ground when it hits the court. Retrieving a wide ball. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net. Table tennis forehand push - Table tennis - essential skills and This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. Nonetheless, the shot can be very useful in a variety of situations, and some professionals have enjoyed quite a bit of success using it as their main option on the forehand side. Your email address will not be published. Related Tags. However, its often one of the most challenging serves to develop. On Friday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Grand Slam champions earned themselves a nomination for point of the year.

Michael Kernicki is currently the Head Professional at the Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach.

","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10669"}},{"authorId":10670,"name":"Michael Kernicki","slug":"michael-kernicki","description":" Michael Patrick Shiels writes frequently for golf magazines and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan section. 3. It is possible to play every single forehand shot as a slice, but this is unlikely to be the most effective way to play. You can see it coming, as it is obvious where the server is hitting the ball to impart the sidespin. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. Not a Team Sport. As the previous tip suggests, you must relax your grip and wrist to allow for the wrist to move freely. The Pros and Cons of the Game Tennis | Healthy Living After that, I somehow ended up with a flat slice (something similar to Rosewall's backhand), probably in my attempt to firm up the face on contact. Backhand gets the ball back neutral so that . This photo was snapped at the height of the toss so you can get a sense of accurate placement. A forehand push is a difficult defensive shot that requires the player to strike downwards on the back and underneath the ball to create backspin. I seldom make a mistake with my slice but it is very effective at creating UE's from my opponents. Once again, Ive provided a view of this serve in slow motion so you can easily see the nuances of the different pieces. The essence of a slice is that it is the opposite of a topspin. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net.

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Mastering the forehand slice

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Slice always imparts control. Advantages of a Tennis Slice We're Gui and Karue. What Was The Battle of The Sexes In Tennis. First, if youre using an eastern grip, youre most likely overcompensating for poor technique. It moves forward and down, coming around to your right side only at the tail end of your stroke, long after the ball is gone. The sports divide into a few tiers of serving advantages. This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. Low bounce: as the name suggests, flat serves have minimal spin. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. Underarm (Underhand in the US) Serve. If players like to attack the net and volley, they slice a lot.

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The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. Up a set and a break, Medvedev served into the deuce court to . Disadvantages Of Slice In Tennis Slashes are disliked by many lower-level recreational players. One of the biggest challenges of the game of tennis is adjusting your stroke according to the incoming ball (high, low, topspin, slice, fast, slow, etc. Your email address will not be published. Thats where variety is king and why learning the three different types of serves is crucial. If you look at a tennis shot side-on from the players right, a ball hit with topspin will appear to be rotating clockwise. Since a big flat serve has a lower margin for error, its worth being thoughtful when you choose to use it. The slice serves name comes from the brushing action, or slice, applied to the tennis ball to produce sidespin. Heres a photo to show you what your contact point should look like for a slice serve. Helpful Tip Noticed one disadvantage is playing on a slower court. As a result, it can be beneficial to avoid overusing a big flat serve and to use other types of serves that have a higher margin of error while focusing on quality placement to put the pressure on your opponent. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. The 5 Unique Spins For A Winning Tennis Serve Reference: tennis slice vs topspin. Kevin is an LTA-accredited coach, and is world ranked in the over-55 age group. Tsvetana Pironkova and Monica Niculescu have both enjoyed success using this tactic, particularly on grass. If you are defending desperately, you are unlikely to be able to execute a topspin lob. The same can be said about Federers use of the backhand slice. When youre first getting started with tennis, your primary goal will likely be to develop a single reliable serve that allows you to begin a point and play the game. Unfortunately, this approach usually lends itself to tension, which is your serves worst enemy and, over time, can lead to injury. Slice shots that are hit from lack of confidence or in a desperate attempt to just get the ball back tend to float, and they travel through the air slowly. The forehand slice is a shot which is rarely taught or discussed in modern tennis. A slice ground stroke causes the ball to rotate backwards towards the person who hit the ball. You can find his 2020 book: ', Seniortennisclub.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to. Heres a video that showcases the kick serve, including the toss, contact point, and racquet angle necessary to generate topspin. Even at pro level, doing damage is still all about the forehand. Here too, it is necessary to make a distinction. Grass is tough on the arm, though, because the ball hits the racquet with more speed, and more speed generally means more shock and torsion. If youre playing on a clay court, you may love your kick serve, where you benefit from the higher bounces that make this serve even more challenging to return. The Top 3 Best Babolat Tennis Rackets Under $100. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. As a result, most players hit flat groundstrokes sparingly. The flat serve gets its name from the fact that minimal spin is applied to the ball when making contact. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Reaction time: The same speed that makes it difficult for your opponent to return a hard flat serve can make it challenging for you to field a well-executed return off of a flat serve because youll have less time to react. Disguise is key, so you will prepare as though you intend to hit an aggressive topspin, and, at the last second, cut under the ball with a high-to-low action, perhaps adding some side-spin for good measure. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. The Good, Bad, and Debatable Clay Courts - LiveAbout It should go without saying that your legs are critical to your serve, but unfortunately, its not second nature to most players. Sliced returns need to be controlled with precision or else a volleyer can pick them off, especially in doubles. Slicing and Dicing, Tennis Style - dummies To be successful with this tactic, you will need to stay low and develop plenty of racket-head speed, to allow you to control the trajectory of the ball. As a result, when the ball hits the court, it stays low, which forces a player to have to bend and get low or return out of their strike zone. When comparing table tennis to tennis, golf, ice hockey, football, or nearly anything, you will find that it is rather cheap. Using this technique, you can make it very difficult for your opponent to return your shot with topspin, making the slice a great defensive shot. Knees should be slightly bent and the body should be leaning forward. One of the best ways to increase your racquet head speed is to incorporate a wrist snap as you extend your arm to make contact with the tennis ball. The major difference is that the racquet shouldn't be pointing straight up, at a 90-degree angle, like a bat. Disadvantages to a topspin game? | Talk Tennis Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1.

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This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. In this article I will tell you what you need to know about how and when to play a tennis forehand slice by answering some of the commonly asked questions. You can't hit through him! "Human backboard" Daniil Medvedev bests Take a deep breath, bounce the ball, and consciously relax your muscles, including your grip and wrist. Return of serve. A topspin shot, on the other hand, rotates forward toward the opponent as it travels through the air. Make contact with the ball, with the racquet "slicing" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. It moves forward and down, coming around to your right side only at the tail end of your stroke, long after the ball is gone.

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Make contact with the ball, with the racquet \"slicing\" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder.